This week’s installment of Worth Reading in here, and by doing it two weeks in a row, I guess I’m committed. There was a glitch last week, which meant the story never showed up in the database proper. If you missed out on Worth Reading’s debut, click over here.

Worth Reading is for the weekend. Work is over, and there’s free time ahead. Worth Reading is whatever makes sense at the end of the week, be it highlighting some games that didn’t make sense for the other ways Giant Bomb covers games, news you should be aware of, and essays that need talking about.

And potentially other stuff! I’m open to suggestions.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Hey, You Should Play This: 1,000 Amps

Make music an integral part of your game, and I'm sold. Bit.Trip Runner isn't the best platformer, but how the soundtrack interacts with running, jumping and sliding sweeps me away every time. 1,000 Amps, which just launched on Steam for the PC and Mac, plays with similar ideas, though with a much larger emphasis on puzzle solving that leaping from platform to platform. The striking black/white looks great, too, and reminds me of Closure.

Damn, when is that game finally coming out?

As a bonus, designer Brandon Brizzi was kind enough to provide five Steam codes. I’m told there are such things as Steam “bots” automatically snapping up codes, though. That’s a bummer, so I’ll make a request. The first five people on Twitter to say the title of the movie I’m partially responsible for getting made will get DM'd a code.

Note: Codes are gone!

Also, Consider Playing This: The Fourth Wall

Yeah, I’m a sucker for a clever platformer. Games like that are a dime-a-dozen in the independent development community, but some are better than others, and The Fourth Wall has an excellent twist. In The Fourth Wall, the barriers of reality do not necessarily apply. The properties of up, down, left and right do not conform to traditional norms in The Fourth Wall. It’s a game whose tricks are best experienced by simply downloading the game and playing, but imagine this: when you fall into a pit, you die, right? In The Fourth Wall, you fall from the ceiling.

Let me make it simple: The Fourth Wall was made by DigiPen students, is incredibly smart, and it's free.

And Maybe You Should Read These:

The Penny Arcade Report is just one (!!!) of the promising new gaming publications that launched this week, and it’s already an excellent destination for lengthy, interesting stories about games. Ben Kuchera, formerly of Ars Technica, is taking a similar approach to myself, and he’s quickly taken advantage of his freedom at Penny Arcade. This story, based on Kuchera’s conversation with Twisted Metal designer David Jaffe at DICE, is an insightful summary of Jaffe’s approach to everything these days--design, press, stories. Perhaps most telling is the interaction afterwards with Kotaku editor-in-chief and friend Stephen Totilo. “You want to be a fucking reporter? Report this.” It's on.

He is one of the most available developers in the business and does an amazing amount of press. I told him that I often feel bad for him in interviews, as it often seems like reporters are just there waiting for him to say something crazy. It’s as if they’re mentally pushing him to dance for the cameras. “I make a conscious choice not to give into the cynicism of thinking the press is just waiting for someone to fuck up… let’s assume it’s really high, and out of every ten reporters I talk to, eight are waiting for me to fuck up to get yellow journalistic bullshit on the top of their site,” he said. “You’re going to die one day, and you’ll have contributed nothing to the world except you’re an asshole. Fuck you, I don’t care.”

Congrats on launching, Vox Games. And you win this round, McElroy. I’ve been meaning to write a story about Johann Sebastian Joust ever since being introduced to designer Douglas Wilson and playing his wonderful creation during last year’s Big Live Live Show Live! I don’t have to write a story anymore, though, because McElroy crafted the piece I could have only hoped to spin out. McElroy makes the case for why Johann Sebastian Joust is paving needed new ground in games, overlapped with a compelling recreation of playing the game against his roommate.

He has me cornered in the kitchen when the game's guiding tempo of classical music spikes. We both lunge at each other's off-hands, but his wingspan far outmeasures my own, ensuring that his blow connects a half-second quicker. I fall to my knees in disgrace as the tip of my Move goes red, and his glows a sequence of victorious neon hues. I'm exhausted, and grinning. “We're going to need more controllers,” I say.

--

Friendly reminder: this is not a three-day weekend. Aww. See you Monday!

This week’s installment of Worth Reading in here, and by doing it two weeks in a row, I guess I’m committed. There was a glitch last week, which meant the story never showed up in the database proper. If you missed out on Worth Reading’s debut, click over here.

Worth Reading is for the weekend. Work is over, and there’s free time ahead. Worth Reading is whatever makes sense at the end of the week, be it highlighting some games that didn’t make sense for the other ways Giant Bomb covers games, news you should be aware of, and essays that need talking about.

And potentially other stuff! I’m open to suggestions.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Hey, You Should Play This: 1,000 Amps

Make music an integral part of your game, and I'm sold. Bit.Trip Runner isn't the best platformer, but how the soundtrack interacts with running, jumping and sliding sweeps me away every time. 1,000 Amps, which just launched on Steam for the PC and Mac, plays with similar ideas, though with a much larger emphasis on puzzle solving that leaping from platform to platform. The striking black/white looks great, too, and reminds me of Closure.

Damn, when is that game finally coming out?

As a bonus, designer Brandon Brizzi was kind enough to provide five Steam codes. I’m told there are such things as Steam “bots” automatically snapping up codes, though. That’s a bummer, so I’ll make a request. The first five people on Twitter to say the title of the movie I’m partially responsible for getting made will get DM'd a code.

Note: Codes are gone!

Also, Consider Playing This: The Fourth Wall

Yeah, I’m a sucker for a clever platformer. Games like that are a dime-a-dozen in the independent development community, but some are better than others, and The Fourth Wall has an excellent twist. In The Fourth Wall, the barriers of reality do not necessarily apply. The properties of up, down, left and right do not conform to traditional norms in The Fourth Wall. It’s a game whose tricks are best experienced by simply downloading the game and playing, but imagine this: when you fall into a pit, you die, right? In The Fourth Wall, you fall from the ceiling.

Let me make it simple: The Fourth Wall was made by DigiPen students, is incredibly smart, and it's free.

And Maybe You Should Read These:

The Penny Arcade Report is just one (!!!) of the promising new gaming publications that launched this week, and it’s already an excellent destination for lengthy, interesting stories about games. Ben Kuchera, formerly of Ars Technica, is taking a similar approach to myself, and he’s quickly taken advantage of his freedom at Penny Arcade. This story, based on Kuchera’s conversation with Twisted Metal designer David Jaffe at DICE, is an insightful summary of Jaffe’s approach to everything these days--design, press, stories. Perhaps most telling is the interaction afterwards with Kotaku editor-in-chief and friend Stephen Totilo. “You want to be a fucking reporter? Report this.” It's on.

He is one of the most available developers in the business and does an amazing amount of press. I told him that I often feel bad for him in interviews, as it often seems like reporters are just there waiting for him to say something crazy. It’s as if they’re mentally pushing him to dance for the cameras. “I make a conscious choice not to give into the cynicism of thinking the press is just waiting for someone to fuck up… let’s assume it’s really high, and out of every ten reporters I talk to, eight are waiting for me to fuck up to get yellow journalistic bullshit on the top of their site,” he said. “You’re going to die one day, and you’ll have contributed nothing to the world except you’re an asshole. Fuck you, I don’t care.”

Congrats on launching, Vox Games. And you win this round, McElroy. I’ve been meaning to write a story about Johann Sebastian Joust ever since being introduced to designer Douglas Wilson and playing his wonderful creation during last year’s Big Live Live Show Live! I don’t have to write a story anymore, though, because McElroy crafted the piece I could have only hoped to spin out. McElroy makes the case for why Johann Sebastian Joust is paving needed new ground in games, overlapped with a compelling recreation of playing the game against his roommate.

He has me cornered in the kitchen when the game's guiding tempo of classical music spikes. We both lunge at each other's off-hands, but his wingspan far outmeasures my own, ensuring that his blow connects a half-second quicker. I fall to my knees in disgrace as the tip of my Move goes red, and his glows a sequence of victorious neon hues. I'm exhausted, and grinning. “We're going to need more controllers,” I say.

--

Friendly reminder: this is not a three-day weekend. Aww. See you Monday!

Encourage users to throw up any additional, exceptional bits of game writing they have seen this week? I won't stray into self-promotion but I'm sure the rest of you have seen some interesting stuff lately. Link link link.

Wow, that Penny Arcade article on Jaffe is crazy. That argument with Totilo is intense. I want to listen to a podcast where Jaffe just gets one of his "haters" in a room and tells them to fuck off for an hour.

The PA Report piece on Jaffe was a great read. I'm looking forward to more from Mr. Kuchera. Also, Jaffe is awesomely honest and open in interviews and I appreciate the hell out of that. After reading some of the things he said in that interview I just felt compelled to say "Fuck yeah!"

I have the S&S soundtrack playing right now and I'm about to test out that amazing looking 8 bit fireplace and after that, The Fourth Wall. I'm also now thinking about jumping on steam and getting 1,000 amps.

I read that PA David Jaffe piece early in the week, and, yeah, it's good stuff. Jaffe is such a fascinating man, and this is coming from someone who isn't that big of a fan of his games (well, I love Twisted Metal and hate God of War, anyway).

I can see why Jaffe is so frustrated as he's trying to have a real conversation with the guy and he's giving him this HR runaround talk instead of being honest for 5 minutes.

As for the article itself, I'd rather they just post an audio clip or a conversation transcript like they even mention. I don't particularly care for that sort of prose writing of "I shuffled my papers and took in the scenery as Mr. XYZ continued his relentless assault on XYZ" I just want to know what they asked Jaffe and how he responded, I don't care how bright or dark the room was.

I wish Sword & Sworcery was the mobile game revolution people seem to have tricked themselves into believing it is. It's pretty, and it sounds nice, but that's really all I can really say to compliment it.

About David Jaffe: I never visit Kotaku. Aren't they the ones that posted to big spoilers in Batman City? To hell with them I say. I don't agree wit Jaffe's views on video-game story-telling but I do admire him and love the games he makes. I can't believe Kotacu posted such a shameless article on him just to make a headline.

God Damn i love David Jaffe. Although I have never played a Twisted Metal game i still respect that man so much. That was a great article and one that I think paints him not in a better light but a more honest and truthful one.

And also fuck kotaku. its just a website for people who want to be on a soapbox rather than actually have meaningful discussions about games

The PA Report piece on Jaffe was a great read. I'm looking forward to more from Mr. Kuchera. Also, Jaffe is awesomely honest and open in interviews and I appreciate the hell out of that. After reading some of the things he said in that interview I just felt compelled to say "Fuck yeah!"

It was great.

I seriously want to be that dude. To be ballsy enough to go up to somebody and say, "you know what? Fuck you. You got your facts wrong and you painted an evil picture. Recognize you fucked up and reported false accusations."

@BulletproofMonk said:

You guys should listen to that Jaffe/Totilo argument. It's pretty crazy.

It's insane, but it's so amazing, and it shows Jaffe in his environment. Nothing's staged, and he goes for it and calls a piece of shit out on his bullshit.

@Oni said:

The PA Report has been exceptional thus far. It's quickly found a place on my hotbar. Jaffe's right, Kotaku is a fucking cesspit.

Amen to this, so hard. God, I may not like Twisted Metal but goddamn, Jaffe is amazing.

I knew I spoke not highly of the Penny Arcade report, but I was wrong. Dead wrong.

Add my name to the list of people who love David Jaffe. Even though I may not love God of War or Twisted Metal (they're okay in my book but not favorites), I will play anything he's involved with in a leadership position because I know I'm getting something he's put his heart and soul into. I don't think you can fake the kind of passion he appears to have for his work, and the fact that he's willing to be so public and so outspoken in a time of ultra-controlled marketing makes me want to support his work. I also trust that even if I don't love the final product, it's going to be interesting in some way.

I would PAY for a weekly podcast of "David Jaffe Talks About Shit on His Mind."

I am really liking these articles. I hadn't heard anything about the Jaffe/Kotaku thing but really found the PA piece interesting. I appreciate Jaffe's candor and I can see how at times that works against him.

Add my name to the list of people who love David Jaffe. Even though I may not love God of War or Twisted Metal (they're okay in my book but not favorites), I will play anything he's involved with in a leadership position because I know I'm getting something he's put his heart and soul into. I don't think you can fake the kind of passion he appears to have for his work, and the fact that he's willing to be so public and so outspoken in a time of ultra-controlled marketing makes me want to support his work. I also trust that even if I don't love the final product, it's going to be interesting in some way.

I would PAY for a weekly podcast of "David Jaffe Talks About Shit on His Mind."

I could not agree more. I love Jaffe for his incredible honesty and passion. I get sick to my stomach when I see him bashed in the press.

Kotaku has some great writers but they also publish a lot of pure trash. I have zero respect for Totilo because of all the garbage he allows on that site.

I really wish The PA Report had a light color scheme. I can't read light on black text for very long before it starts to hurt my eyes and I start seeing sunspots. Hopefully I'm not going blind.

The PA Report piece on Jaffe was a great read. I'm looking forward to more from Mr. Kuchera. Also, Jaffe is awesomely honest and open in interviews and I appreciate the hell out of that. After reading some of the things he said in that interview I just felt compelled to say "Fuck yeah!"

It was great.

I seriously want to be that dude. To be ballsy enough to go up to somebody and say, "you know what? Fuck you. You got your facts wrong and you painted an evil picture. Recognize you fucked up and reported false accusations."

@BulletproofMonk said:

You guys should listen to that Jaffe/Totilo argument. It's pretty crazy.

It's insane, but it's so amazing, and it shows Jaffe in his environment. Nothing's staged, and he goes for it and calls a piece of shit out on his bullshit.

@Oni said:

The PA Report has been exceptional thus far. It's quickly found a place on my hotbar. Jaffe's right, Kotaku is a fucking cesspit.

Amen to this, so hard. God, I may not like Twisted Metal but goddamn, Jaffe is amazing.

I knew I spoke not highly of the Penny Arcade report, but I was wrong. Dead wrong.

You just don't interpret what Jaffe's saying. He's TELLING you what he means, there's no need to read anything into it. It's just a lost art in this world and I love him for it, I just wish he made games that I wanted to play, because I respect the way he goes about his business.

Edit 2: @patrickklepek Just noticed you said Griffin was playing Joust with his brother, but the article says it was his roommate. Honest mistake, though, I can't separate Griffin from Justin in my mind either. :)

Unintentional side effect of reading this: Found out Justin & Griffin McElroy have gone on to produce a new gaming-specific podcast at Verge! I absolutely loved the Joystiq Podcast (and Joystiq, for that matter) before it got gutted, so I'm looking forward to adding this new one to the rotation.